


The Date

by witch0000



Category: The Good Wife (TV)
Genre: All kinds of sex, Anger, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, I miss these two, I'm Bad At Tagging, Non-Consensual Touching, Peter is an asshole, Sex, Smut, all the feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:54:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25054222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witch0000/pseuds/witch0000
Summary: I wrote this awhile ago, before the show destroyed their relationship. I'm finding myself drawn back to this story, and I'd like to finish it. I have posted this elsewhere on incandescentfire.com and livejournal.com but now I want it to live here because I want to finish it properly. I hope you enjoy it. I miss these two characters terribly.
Relationships: Alicia Florrick/Kalinda Sharma
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

“Do you have time for a drink?” Alicia asked, trying hard—too hard—to make her voice sound casual and light.

“Sorry. I have a date tonight,” Kalinda replied, her eyes refusing to move from her computer screen.

Alicia’s heart clutched for a moment, as she tried to keep her face expressionless. “Anyone special?” she asked softly—so softly she hoped Kalinda didn’t hear her.

That softness in her voice—the hesitation—the fear—made Kalinda move her eyes slowly away from the screen, up towards Alicia, until she locked eyes with her.

“No,” Kalinda said gently, and she saw Alicia’s body relax just a bit, and she heard a long-held breath leave her friend’s body. “No one special at all. My mother is always trying to fix me up with eligible rich Indian men. I have to go out with at least one per quarter, or else she’ll get herself to Chicago from Bombay faster than a speeding bullet. And yes, she is more powerful than a locomotive too.” Kalinda smiled as she watched her friend laugh—a little too hard, but no matter. It broke the spell for the time being.

“Well, ok then. Good luck, I guess. I mean, if you are looking for a husband,” Alicia said, moving towards the door, anxious to extricate herself from this strangely uncomfortable conversation _. Jesus I just wanted to have a drink with her! Why on earth did I almost pass out when she said she had a date?_ Alicia shook her head slightly, as if to clear it of all unwelcome thoughts. She wasn’t one who liked to examine her own motivations too closely. She tried to stay in the moment. To do the next right thing. Often, she did things she didn’t understand. Like stay married to Peter after what he had done to her—to their marriage—to their children. But it felt comfortable and familiar, and Alicia preferred that over the unknown.

_Like Kalinda._

Alicia’s hand grasped the door handle as she tried to make her exit.

“Alicia. I am NOT looking for a husband,” Kalinda said.

Alicia felt her face flush with heat as she froze. She continued to stare at the back of the door, her hand still clutching the handle.

“Alicia.” Kalinda said softly, a plea barely discernable in her tone.

Gathering her wits, Alicia quickly turned her head in the other woman’s direction and said casually, “Oh. Well, I hope the date isn’t too awful for you. Have a good night,” Alicia said smiling too brightly as she finally made her exit. 

As the door clicked shut, Kalinda sighed _. How long are we going to dance to this song? How long is Alicia going to deny her feelings for me? How long am I going to pretend I’m oblivious to how she feels? And how long will I keep obsessing about what it would be like to kiss her?_

A knock on the door broke the spell. Diane, a partner in the firm of Stern, Lockhart and Gardner where both Kalinda and Alicia worked, popped her head in quickly and reminded Kalinda that she needed more dirt on the Ellsworth case.

“This one should be interesting for you, Kalinda,” Diane said smiling. “It’s usually the men that are the dogs. This time, it’s the wife who stepped out on the husband.”

“Step out? Are you kidding? This woman was having orgies with teenage boys three nights a week! If you call that “stepping out” I’d hate to think what you would classify as whoring around,” Kalinda said in mock horror.

“Nothing shocks me anymore, Kalinda. Just as I’m sure nothing shocks you. That’s why we’re both very good at what we do. We don’t get rattled easily,” Diane said as excused herself and left Kalinda’s office.

Kalinda heard the door click shut again, and she was once again left to her thoughts—thoughts of kissing Alicia.

Kalinda sat up straight in her chair, and tried to focus on her latest case, but it was hopeless. It had gotten like this lately. Her legendary ability to focus on a case—leaving no stone unturned to catch her prey—had been compromised of late by her obsession with Alicia. This was not the first time she’d had her heart captured by someone so colossally inappropriate and emotionally unavailable. _I swear, it’s my fucking type, these days. I should probably go see a shrink about that._ Kalinda’s job was to delve into the psyche’s of those unfortunates who unwittingly found themselves under her microscope. And she was good at it—one of the best. _Too bad I can’t seem to do a very good job in examining my own motivations._

Like why I lied to Alicia. Why I told her I had a date with a man. When I most certainly do not—not tonight anyway.

Kalinda packed up her laptop and gathered the files she would need to work on the Ellsworth case this weekend. As she zipped the case shut, she pulled open the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out her Prada bag—a splurge, but one that she made her smile every day. Locking her desk, she gathered her bags, flicked off the light switch and locked her office door. Only the Partners of the firm and Kalinda were allowed to lock their doors—Associates had to have access to files at all times, as they frequently worked through the night on important cases. But Kalinda almost always had enough information in her office to take down a city’s political infrastructure and burn it down in shame and scandal—so Will and Diane wisely amended their policy to allow Kalinda more privacy for her work than the rest of the firm. It worked out well all around.

Kalinda’s phone vibrated in her pocket, and she reached for it automatically. “This is Kalinda. All right. I’ll meet you at 9. But I need to make it an early night. I have to be up in the morning. See you then. Yeah…me too.” Ending the call, Kalinda picked up her stride a bit and hurried to her car. It was already 7, and she needed time to bait the trap. She had a live fish on the hook.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Kalinda! So nice to see you! Is that a new bag? I love it—it matches your eyes.” Lana Delaney, FBI agent and frequent source of information for Kalinda, rose to great her guest. Kalinda offered her cheek in greeting, and was rewarded when Lana deposited a soft, gentle kiss on her face that made Kalinda smile—just a little—in spite of her purpose this evening. And her purpose this evening was the same as it was every time Lana called her and invited her somewhere. Find out what she wanted from her, extract as much information from the agent as possible, and give back little in return. It’s a dance Lana and Kalinda had been playing for several years—back when Kalinda was working for Peter Florrick’s office. Working for Peter, she learned just how ugly politics and law enforcement can be. How depraved and power hungry people could get. And she learned from it—studied it—so she could use it for her benefit and the benefit of her employer.

“The bag is fairly new—I suppose I didn’t have it the last time we met,” Kalinda said. “But I’m pretty sure you didn’t invite me here to compliment me on my ability to accessorize. What’s this about Lana?”

“Can’t I invite a pretty woman out to dinner on a Friday night and not be accused of trying to pump her for information,” Lana said with a sly smile.

“Well, you could, however if one has honorable intentions, one never invites a woman out on a Friday night with less than 24 hours notice,” Kalinda said. “And, to be fair, one never accepts said invitation on such short notice unless one thinks the evening will yield something worthwhile.”

“And what would you consider to be ‘worthwhile’ Kalinda?” Lana asked, while her fingertip played with the rim of her wine glass.

“Worthwhile would be that you give me information that I need, or that might be helpful to me in the future,” Kalinda said.

“Is that the only thing that might be worth your while, Kalinda?” Lana asked. “It’s entirely possible that I invited you tonight because I enjoy your company. And the invitation did arrive this morning, delivered on your doorstep with a very attractive bouquet of exotic blossoms attached. I would say, if I were investigating this case, that my intentions might indeed be more than ‘work-related’.

“Yes, that is highly possible. However, with you FBI agents, everything is work to you—there’s no dividing line between the two, because your work is so all important. But somehow, I don’t think at this point in your life that you take much time for social visits. So I’m going to stick with my gut on this one and say that you’ve got something on your mind. So spill. What is it that you want Lana?”

“Well first, I want you to have a glass of this wine. It’s fantastic. Then I want you to order something for dinner. Once that’s done, I’ll let you know why you’re here.”

Kalinda sighed. It had been a long week and she was tired. But tonight might yield some profitable information, and, if the stars were properly aligned, she might get laid. And Lana was a very thorough, enthusiastic lover. _And it might help me take my mind off of Alicia for a little while._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kalinda meets with FBI agent Lana Delaney, and they do what they always do.

Kalinda waited for Lana to fall asleep. She then carefully disentangled herself from Lana’s arm which was carelessly thrown across her torso, and slipped soundlessly out of bed. She quickly gathered her clothing, double-checked that she’d left nothing behind—and made her way into the living room of Lana’s large and expensive apartment. She quickly dressed and exited the apartment. _I probably should have left a note or something. Ah well. She knows me well enough by now. I guess she won’t mind._

It was 2:30 am. Dinner had been enjoyable. There had been lots of banter, teasing, flirting and—thankfully excellent intelligence information. Lana had a habit of drinking just a bit too much whenever they mixed business with pleasure, and Kalinda was always very careful to keep her wits about her, ready to pounce on any tidbit of information that Lana might inadvertently let slip out—and tease the rest of it out of her with the agent being none the wiser.

Kalinda had almost—almost—resisted Lana’s invitation for post dinner recreation. Although sex-without-strings was her standard operating procedure, Kalinda found herself strangely uninterested. She’d been on the verge of taking her leave of the FBI agent when her phone vibrated, indicating that a text message had come in. “ _How was your date? Lol. Peter made dinner tonite and I drank too much wine. He’s too f’ing handsome. See you on Monday.”_

The anger rose like a wave over Kalinda, and as quickly as it washed over her, she deposited it into a compartment buried deep within her heart, slammed the cover shut and flashed Lana a dazzling smile.

“Come on Kalinda. Come home with me tonight. I promise you won’t regret it,” Lana said, refusing to let Kalinda’s hard-to-get routine keep her from getting laid tonight.

Kalinda said nothing. Depositing her cell phone into her bag, she rose from her chair and locked eyes with Lana. “Let’s go.”

As soon as the Lana closed the door to her apartment, Kalinda slammed her body against it, pressing her body against the surprised, yet very turned on FBI agent. Pinning her arms up against the door, Kalinda captured Lana’s lips in a searing, passionate kiss. With no warning, Kalinda reached down with her right hand and raked her fingernails over Lana’s thigh, stopping when she felt the edge of the woman’s silk panties. She felt Lana’s breath hitch as she toyed with the edge of the fabric, and continued to ravage Lana’s mouth with her tongue. All at once, Kalinda tore Lana’s panties off, and plunged her long fingers into Lana’s hot, wet pussy. It only took a few strokes of Kalinda’s experienced fingers until Lana’s head snapped back and a powerful orgasm overcame her. 

_Not a bad opening gambit if I do say so myself_ , Kalinda thought as she replayed the evening’s “activities” over in her mind. Lana had a great time—of that she was sure. And Kalinda allowed herself to let go—just for a little while—of the tight control she always kept over herself, as she lost herself in the arms of the FBI agent. She was so angry. Angry at herself for allowing Alicia Florrick to overtake her senses. For allowing herself to become emotionally involved in Peter Florrick’s shattered marriage—and career. She’d broken away from Peter—from his dirty political machine. And yet here she was back again, entangled in his web of lies.

Outside Lana’s apartment building in the expensive Lincoln Park neighborhood, Kalinda walked several blocks, on the lookout for a cab. Seeing none, she thought vaguely about walking home—then she remembered the height of the heel on her knee-length boot and thought better of it. As she reached into her bag to pull out her cell phone to dial a cab, she saw the message indicator—two text messages, a voicemail and a missed call. All from Alicia. _Shit! Does she have fucking ESP or something?_

She started with the text messages. The first one read: “ _Hey. Was just kidding about the date. Are you ok? I’m a little worried about you. Call or text me so I know you’re ok_.” Kalinda smirked at this. _Seriously Alicia? Is that the best excuse you can come up with? Am I ok? If anyone can take care of herself on a date, it’s me._ Ready to laugh again at Alicia’s lack of “game”, she was unprepared for Alicia’s next message

_Peter got drunk and tried to force himself on me—he burst into my room and started yelling about me and Will fucking around together. I had to leave the apartment because with the ankle monitor, I couldn’t throw him out without landing him in jail—but I was tempted! Call me when you can. I was hoping I could crash at your place._

For the second time tonight, Kalinda felt her blood begin to boil. She checked the time the text had come in. 1:15 am. Her first instinct was to call Alicia back immediately, but, being an investigator at heart, she needed all the facts. She dialed her voicemail. _“Kalinda, it’s me. Alicia. I…I…I need your help. I left the apartment because Peter…well…he…look, can I crash with you tonight? I don’t have anywhere else to go, so I’ll wait at the coffee shop on North Clark St. I know it’s a dive, but I don’t have a lot of options.”_

Without hesitation, Kalinda dialed Alicia’s cell phone. “Alicia? Are you all right?” she asked.

“Other than having to leave my own apartment in the middle of the night because my felonious ‘husband’ decided to freak out on me, yes. I’m fine,” Alicia said, her voice rough from crying.

“Is there a cab stand out front of the coffee shop, Alicia? Good. Get in the cab and come over to my apartment. I’ll meet you there. What? No, I’m not there right now, but I’m on my way. Be careful Alicia.” Kalinda disconnected the call and dialed the cab company. “Yeah, tell the driver there’s an extra $50 bucks if he picks me up in the next three minutes.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia seeks shelter in Kalinda's apartment--and her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Alicia talks about Peter's abusive behavior to her that evening, so proceed with caution.

Kalinda arrived at her apartment and found Alicia sitting on the front steps, head bowed low and resting in both her hands. Alicia looked up when she heard the cab pull up and gave Kalinda a half-hearted smile, as she rose from her sitting position and waited for Kalinda to open the door.

Kalinda’s heart beat hard into her chest, and she made a conscious effort to slow her breathing. _She’s here because Peter was abusive towards her—not to jump into my bed and frolic with me. Pull it together, Kalinda and be the friend she needs you to be tonight._ Kalinda paid the driver and got out of the cab and made her way quickly over to Alicia. Kalinda put her arm around her friend’s waist for support—moral and physical—and opened the door to the entry way. No words were spoken until after they had made their way to the elevator, rode it to the top floor, and went inside the apartment. Alicia had never been inside before, and she was slightly pleased that it looked just like she’d imagined it. Gleaming hardwood floors and moldings complimented the modern, almost industrial décor. Sterile, yet somehow very hip. The kitchen boasted a cork floor, granite countertops, cherry wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances. They by-passed the kitchen and went straight into the living room, with Kalinda talking Alicia’s coat and purse and hanging them both in the hall closet.

“Do you want something to drink, Alicia? Tea perhaps, or something stronger?”

“Can I have both?” Alicia said quietly as she made herself comfortable on the crimson colored sofa.

Within a few moments, Kalinda arrived, tray in hand, with a ceramic tea pot, and two mugs. Carefully pouring the tea, she handed the first to Alicia and waited until she had poured her own, then settled herself in to hear the story.

“Alicia, are you all right? Did Peter hurt you?”

“Oh, he hurt me, but not physically,” Alicia said truthfully. “And I allowed it. Again. I feel like the biggest fool.” Taking a sip of the tea, Alicia enjoyed the rich flavor of the exotic blend of leaves, coupled with a hint of liquor and the accompanying burn on her tongue and throat. “I don’t know what you put in here, and I don’t want to know. But it’s delicious. Thank you.”

“Just something to relax you and take the edge off,” Kalinda said kindly. “And you’re not a fool, Alicia. You just follow your heart to your own detriment.”

“That’s a very eloquent way of saying that I actually am a fool,” Alicia said chuckling. “But enough about me. How was your big date?”

“Alicia, you did not come here in the middle of the night to inquire about my love life. Stop avoiding this. You need to talk about it. Ignoring it and brushing over it will not make this go away. “

Sitting up straighter and clearing her throat, Alicia began. “It started innocently enough. Peter made pasta and a salad, and we all ate together—as a family, ironically. Then the kids wanted to play a game, so we dug out the Monopoly board and went at it for a couple of hours. It was actually fun. Grace made popcorn, and the kids were really enjoying themselves. For a minute, it was like none of it had ever happened. Like Peter never cheated on me. Like the world never saw my entire life under a microscope. Like my kids had never been devastated by the dad they loved, and looked to me to make it all better.”

“Then it got late, so we sent the kids to bed. Peter poured me a glass of wine and put some music on. My defenses were down because of the nice evening we’d had. I thought he was just trying to be nice to me. I should have known better,” Alicia said bitterly.

“Then what, Alicia?” Kalinda urged her friend gently.

“We were chatting about—about nothing really. He was asking me some questions about work, and about my co-workers. A lot of questions about Will actually. And I chattered on, just happy to not be talking about him for a change. He sat closer to me and put his arm around me, and I allowed it. For about a minute and a half. Then I looked at him and thanked him for the wonderful night, but that I needed to go to sleep. He looked disappointed, but said good night, and poured himself more wine. That was around midnight. I took a shower and went to bed. The next thing I know, the lights were on in my bedroom and Peter was standing over me screaming, calling me a whore. Telling me he knew all about me and Will—and that he’d ruin Will if I didn’t stop seeing him.”

“What did you do then, Alicia?”

“I stayed very calm and ordered him out of my room. He refused, and came closer to me and sat on my bed. He continued to berate me about Will, then all of a sudden, his eyes got really hard and angry and he went after me—pinning my arms down and kissing me. I’ve never been so repulsed in my life,” Alicia said quietly. “This man. This man that I loved, that I had children with, that I stood beside no matter what it cost me—to treat me like a possession. I am a fool, Kalinda.”

“Luckily, Zach woke up with all the screaming and he literally pulled Peter off of me. Zach was crying and telling him to stop it. Something must have registered with Peter because he snapped out of it and started apologizing. Zach made him leave the room, and he closed the door behind him. I couldn’t stay there after that. I couldn’t stay there. And I didn’t know where else to go,” Alicia finished quietly.

Kalinda moved next to Alicia and took her hand and held it for a few long minutes. Finally, she spoke, her voice full of emotion. “Alicia, I’m not going to give you any sage advice or wisdom. This is something you have to figure out on your own. But I want you to know that you can call me—any time—and I will always be there for you. My home is always open to you. And if you ever need me to kick Peter’s ass, you know I will.”

Alicia smiled and moved her eyes to meet Kalinda’s. She leaned in to embrace her friend, and was shocked at how warm and safe and _right_ it felt to have Kalinda’s arms around her. _My god this feels amazing. I haven’t felt this way in a very, very long time._

Kalinda allowed her body to melt into Alicia’s arms. Allowed herself to luxuriate in the feeling of Alicia’s body so close to hers. She closed her eyes to drink in the feeling—knowing that this was probably as close to Alicia as she would ever get. She knew she was in dangerous territory. She guarded her heart carefully, and tonight she’d made a hundred mistakes. All because of this woman. This beautiful, complex, articulate, and out-of-bounds woman. _And I’d do it again over and over again just for this moment._

The two women held there embrace for a long time. A very long time. So long that Kalinda was getting nervous and very turned on. But she couldn’t break away from this if she tried. And Alicia was clinging to her, refusing to let go even a little—no hint that she ever wanted to leave the Kalinda’s arms. Summoning all of her willpower, Kalinda gently tried to disengage herself from Alicia—only to find Alicia clinging tighter to her.

Kalinda moved one of her hands to the back of Alicia’s head and began stroking her hair gently. “Alicia?” she whispered. “Honey it’s very late and you’re exhausted. You need to get some sleep. Come with me and I’ll find you something to sleep in and tuck you in, ok?”

“But…I…Kalinda, I….” Alicia floundered, still clinging to Kalinda, unwilling to break the spell of their embrace.

“What Alicia…what is it? What do you need?” As soon as the words came out of Kalinda’s mouth, she regretted them. _My god, what’s wrong with you! Coming on to a woman who’s just had the last of her illusions about her marriage shattered. Nice work. You’ve just lost a few karmic points for that one._

Alicia said nothing for a long moment. Then she took a deep breath, and answered. “Kalinda, I don’t know what I want. I know I don’t want to be anywhere else but here at the moment. I also don’t think I want to stop holding you.”

Kalinda’s breathing stopped, as she hung on Alicia’s every word. _Am I dreaming this? Did she just say what I think she just said?_

“Well that’s going to make going to sleep rather difficult, don’t you think?” Kalinda said, trying to lighten the incredibly thick tension in the room.

Alicia said nothing and continued to hold onto Kalinda.

“Come on Alicia. I’m putting you to bed. We can talk more in the morning,” Kalinda said softly but firmly.

“No!” Alicia cried out, almost whimpering. “Please don’t make me sleep alone tonight Kalinda. Please. I…I…I need you to hold me tonight.”

 _Dear god…she did not just ask me to lie in bed and hold her all night!_ Wondering vaguely how Kalinda would manage to sleep at all with Alicia in such close proximity to her body, she whispered, “All right, Alicia. Come with me.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia sleeps in Kalinda's bed.

Kalinda led Alicia to the master bedroom, pulled out a t-shirt and shorts for her to sleep in, and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom. While Alicia was getting ready for bed, Kalinda paced her room nervously. _What am I thinking! I cannot—I cannot sleep next to her all night. Not without making some kind of move on her. I will implode!_ Kalinda unbuttoned her blouse and opened a dresser drawer, looking for something suitable to sleep in. Settling for a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, she tossed them on the bed as she began to unbutton her jeans. As soon as she started pushing her jeans over her hips, the door to the bathroom opened, and Alicia stood there, stopping dead in her tracks. Kalinda swallowed hard as their eyes met, and continued removing her jeans, replacing them with her sweatpants.

Still standing there with her blouse undone, revealing a very pretty lavender bra, she said casually, “Are you all done in there Alicia?”

Alicia nodded her assent—she didn’t trust her voice not to betray her deep arousal. Kalinda grabbed her tank top off the bed, smiled at Alicia, and went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her and locked it.

Kalinda leaned against the door for support and tried to steady her breath. This was so unlike her. She was way, way, way out of her comfort zone, and she didn’t like it. _Ok, Kalinda. Steady on._ Steeling herself, she pushed herself away from the door, headed for the sink and busied herself with her usual night-time rituals. She knew she was taking a bit too long—stalling for time. She was still very nervous, and not certain about what would—or better yet, should—happen tonight. _Well, there’s only one way to find out._

Kalinda grasped the door knob and turned it. She looked over at the bed and saw Alicia, tucked in under the covers, completely and totally passed out. _Crisis averted—at least for the time being._ She smiled at the sight of her friend, so tired from all the bullshit Peter had been dishing out. So tired that as soon as she was away from him, she finally relaxed enough to fall into a deep sleep.

Kalinda knew that Alicia had not slept well for a very, very long time. Way before the news broke of Peter’s affair with the hooker and his subsequent trial and incarceration. Peter and Alicia had not been doing well for some time, and Alicia had been long troubled by it. Kalinda knew this—not from Alicia, but from Peter himself. Peter played his cards close to the vest, but Kalinda was very good at getting people to open up and talk to her. It’s what made her so damn good at her job. And he’d let his guard down more than once around Kalinda when they were alone in the District Attorney’s office late at night, working on some high profile case. And she listened—to all of it. How Alicia wasn’t happy. How she usually fell asleep—or pretended to be asleep—on the couch and didn’t bother to come to bed whenever it was that Peter came home after his usual late night of work and politicking. How she and he had stopped talking—really talking to each other. The only conversations they had were about Peter, his career and ambitions, and the kids. Alicia rarely shared anything but the most superficial things about her day—certainly not her thoughts and feelings. Alicia had been on autopilot, being the perfect political wife, the perfect mother, the perfect suburban neighbor. She wasn’t the Alicia he’d married. By making her put off her career and her aspirations, making her be what he needed her to be so he could have the life he’d always dreamed of, he’d turned her into someone she didn’t recognize and wasn’t comfortable with. And she wasn’t happy—that was clear. But she never said so—never admitted it. And Peter was too much of a coward to ask her directly about it. And he had no idea how to make her happy. So he worked late in the office, drank too much frequently, and lost himself in mindless encounters with women who pretended to be pleased by him. Amber wasn’t the first—just the first time he got caught. And he settled for that, because it was easier than taking an honest look at his marriage and trying to fix it.

 _My poor Alicia._ Kalinda walked softly over to her side of the bed, climbed under the covers and turned out the light. As she lay there, she no longer wondered what the right thing was to do any longer. She rolled on her side towards Alicia, and wrapped her arm around her waist and held her close to her body. She was astonished at how well they fit together, and how exquisite Alicia’s body felt lying next to her. She quietly thanked the gods for this night, knowing that it was likely the only night she would ever spend holding Alicia in her bed, and fell into a deep, untroubled sleep.

Alicia awoke sometime during the night completely disoriented and suddenly frightened. Her whole body stiffened as she tried to make out where she was and who she was with. Sensing her friend’s anxiety, Kalinda brushed her hand over Alicia’s stomach and said, “Alicia, it’s all right. You’re with me and you’re safe. Go back to sleep now.”

 _Kalinda? I’m in bed with Kalinda?_ Alicia’s mind was thick with sleep and she had trouble remembering how she had got here. _Oh, right…Peter was an ass last night. Kalinda took me in._ Alicia’s mind suddenly snapped awake as she remembered Kalinda holding her on the couch—and not wanting to let her go. In fact, Kalinda was still holding her right now and from the looks of things, had been holding her all night. She shifted slightly and felt Kalinda effortlessly move with her, keeping her arms wrapped around her waist. Using her own supreme compartmentalization skills, Alicia put all judgmental thoughts about what she was doing and who she was doing it with off to the side and allowed herself to enjoy this night. As she covered Kalinda’s arms with her own, she smiled and closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of lying in Kalinda’s arms, in Kalinda’s bed, feeling happier than she had in a very long time.

Kalinda almost heard Alicia’s internal conflict as she pretended to be half asleep. She was, in fact, very awake, on alert and very aroused. She was hyper aware of every move either of them made, and her body adjusted itself automatically in order to stay melded to Alicia’s body. She was on sensory overload. Alicia felt and smelled amazing _. And I bet she tastes even better than she smells_ , Kalinda thought to herself. _Stop it! You’re doing so well! Don’t blow it now. Stay on guard and don’t do anything either of you will regret in the morning._ Kalinda wondered vaguely if she could ever regret making love with Alicia. Touching her, loving her, making her feel wanted and adored. The way she deserved to feel. The way her husband could not and would not make her feel. As she felt Alicia’s body truly relax again, her inner conflict calmed for the moment, Kalinda allowed herself to relax. It wasn’t long before both women drifted off to sleep again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward morning...

The sound of a cell phone ringing jolted both women awake. “It’s mine,” Kalinda said as she reached for her phone to see who was calling her so early on a Saturday. “Hi Diane. What’s up? I can check that out for you later today. I’ve got my hands full at the moment. All right. I’ll call you later if I find anything out.”

Kalinda returned her phone to the nightstand and roller herself onto her back. She wanted more than anything to roll herself over and start kissing Alicia’s back, her neck, her shoulders, and turn her over and… _stop it! Damn you, will you ever stop!_

“What time is it, Kalinda?”

“It’s 10:45,” Kalinda answered. ” You didn’t get to sleep last night until well after 4 am…do you want to try to sleep some more? I can go into the other room if you’d like some time to yourself.”

“I actually feel wonderfully rested. I haven’t slept this soundly since…well, since a very long time ago,” Alicia confessed.

Kalinda stared up at the ceiling, her mind racing. _Keep it together Sharma! Small talk…that’s the ticket. Small talk and acting like there’s nothing in the slightest bit unusual about you waking up next to Alicia Florrick._

“That’s great Alicia. I know you’ve got a lot to think about—with Peter and all—so if you want me to give you some privacy…”

“Kalinda Sharma! Are you trying to extricate yourself from this potentially awkward situation?” Alicia said mockingly. She was rewarded when she saw Kalinda’s poker face fall for just a moment. _Ah, the mask falls a bit!_ Alicia thought. _I should really be the one who’s freaked out here, not her. I’m the one with all these feelings for her and here I am—the morning after spending all night lying in her arms. Why is she acting so…_ All at once, a lightbulb went off in Alicia’s head, and she held back a smile that threatened to hijack her face.

“No no…of course not Alicia. What the hell could be awkward about waking up in bed with a co-worker—a married co-worker at that. Who’s husband I used to work for and now he’s a convicted felon. Nope,” Kalinda said. “Nothing at all strange and awkward about this situation.”

_Now’s your chance Alicia. The elephant under the rug is poking his trunk out at you. What are you going to do about it. Damn it sometimes I hate my inner voice! It’s always so…honest._

Alicia rolled over onto her side, facing Kalinda, who was still trying in vain to stare at the ceiling. She was afraid if she looked at Alicia she would completely become undone and would no longer be held responsible for her actions. “Kalinda, would you please look at me?” Alicia said, her voice almost a plea.

After whispering a quick prayer to the gods, Kalinda’s head began its slow journey, until she turned to face Alicia. Their eyes met, and Alicia was shocked to find what she thought was fear in her friend’s eyes. “Kalinda, I’m sorry…I’m sorry I teased you…I didn’t mean to…” Alicia floundered for purchase against the slippery slope she was on. “Of course I’m imposing and you’re being polite offering to leave. Let me just get my things and I’ll be out of your way,” Alicia said quickly as she started to roll away from Kalinda.

“Wait,” Kalinda said, as her hand quickly reached out to grasp Alicia’s wrist, and she pulled Alicia towards her again. This time, it was Alicia’s face that changed. When Kalinda met her eyes, she saw something she’d not seen before, in all these months of dancing around their attraction. She saw _hope._

“You don’t have to leave Alicia. I’m not asking you to leave. And I’m not trying to extricate myself—not at all,” Kalinda explained. “I know you’ve been through an awful lot in the past 12 hours—hell, in the past 12 months—and I have this insufferable need to take care of you. To wave my magic wand and make it all disappear for you.”

“But my wand is in the shop, and I’m not sure what it is you need from me. All I know is that I want to help you, and I really don’t want to do anything that might make things worse for you than they already are.”

“How could you possibly make things worse for me, Kalinda?” Alicia said softly, her hand reaching out to stroke Kalinda’s beautiful cheek. The feel of Alicia’s fingers playing over her skin caused Kalinda’s eyes to close involuntarily, her whole being focused on remembering the feeling of that touch.

Kalinda caught Alicia’s hand in hers and brought it to her lips, depositing a soft, lingering kiss on the back of her hand. Then it was Alicia’s turn to close her eyes to better enjoy the sensations that were invading her body. Kalinda took Alicia’s silence as permission as she turned her hand over and began softly kissing her palm, losing herself for a moment, wondering vaguely if she’d already gone too far now to turn back.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kalinda and Alicia talk. Like they never did in the show.

The silence in the room was eerie. The only sound Kalinda could here was the hammering of her own heart in her chest. She was so certain that she was about to make one of the absolute worst decisions in her life, but nothing could have torn her away from Alicia in this moment. Nothing but…

 _WAIT ONE MINUTE!_ Kalinda’s inner voice screamed _._ _No, no, no, no, no, no, no!_ _Not this time. Not with this woman,_ Kalinda admonished herself. _This is your friend. Your friend that you care deeply about—all right, too deeply. And yes, there’s an attraction. Oh boy, there is definitely an attraction. But you will not start something with Alicia that she is clearly in no space to choose freely, or to even have the capacity to process mentally, once this is all said and done._

Slowly, carefully, Kalinda pressed her lips to Alicia’s palm one last time, and gently placed Alicia’s hand onto the bed at her side. Alicia’s eyes opened as she felt the kisses stop. A flood of fear came over Alicia, like a wave. Sensing her friend’s confusion, Kalinda took advantage of the moment to flip the switch on the runaway train that was headed towards both of them.

“Alicia, look at me for a minute. I want to say something to you, and I want you to listen. You and I are not going to make love this morning.” As Kalinda said it, she felt a knot in her stomach tighten. Watching Alicia’s expression, Kalinda knew that her words were having a similar affect on her friend.

Alicia quickly averted her gaze and rolled away from Kalinda, trying to extricate herself physically from this bed—from this incredibly awkward situation that she herself had caused by coming to Kalinda in the middle of the night. She’d almost managed to climb out of bed when she was stopped short.

“Alicia don’t! I’m not finished yet. We need to talk about this. We can’t go on with this big…thing…between us, that we don’t speak of. It’s too much for both of us. We have to talk about it.

Alicia stayed where she was for a moment, then got up out of bed and faced Kalinda. Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she said, “You’re right Kalinda. We do need to talk. But not here—not in your bed. You’re going to go to the kitchen and make us some coffee, and if you’ve got the domestic skills for it, a piece of toast might be nice. I’m going to go into the bathroom and take a shower, because this has been a crazy 18 hours, and I need to regroup for a few moments. Then, when I’m done, and the coffee is ready, we will sit across from each other like grown-ups and have this discussion.”

Kalinda was completely taken aback. This was _work_ Alicia—she’d never really seen _work_ Alicia when it was just the two of them. In fact, _work_ Alicia never seemed to poke her head out very often unless it was at work. Whenever it came to personal matters, Alicia was much more likely to be the quiet one—the one who acquiesces. _Apparently not today,_ Kalinda thought.

“All right Alicia. Whatever makes you more comfortable. I’ll just go into the kitchen and see if my domestic skills are up to the task of toast and coffee,” Kalinda said, a smile playing on her lips.

Alicia returned the smile and turned on her heel towards the bathroom. As soon as Kalinda heard the door click shut, she made the bed—less temptation, she thought—and went to the kitchen to do as she’d been bid.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

20 minutes later, Alicia walked into the kitchen, wearing the clothes that she’d arrived in last night—well-worn jeans and a blue cashmere sweater. “Have a seat at the table, Alicia. Your gruel and crust of bread will be ready in a moment,” Kalinda dead-panned. As Alicia sat down at one of the two places that were set, she watched Kalinda as she transferred eggs into a serving dish, and set it on the table. She carried the dish over to the table, where it joined a plate heaped with whole wheat buttered toast, and a pitcher of orange juice and mugs of steaming coffee. 

“I trust Madam approves of the victuals?” Kalinda said in her best cockney accent.

Alicia tried to keep a straight face as she replied, “Yes indeed. Madam is pleased.”

The mood lightened considerably as Kalinda took her seat to join Alicia, and both women served themselves. They ate in relative silence, perhaps avoiding the inevitable conversation that both were nervous about. As the last bite of food disappeared, Kalinda quickly rose and cleared the table, and took a moment to refill the coffee mugs. She then returned to her seat and said, “Ok. Now it’s time to talk. Do you want to go first, or shall I?”

“I’ll start.” Alicia said quickly. _Because I don’t want to change my mind at the last second and try to say what I think she wants me to say instead of what I truly need to say._

“And the first thing I want to say is, you are my best friend. You have been a quiet presence in my life—always there to listen if I wanted to talk, always there to divert me with an invitation for a drink, or to accompany you on one of your black ops. And that means more to me than you could ever know,” Alicia said, watching Kalinda’s face as it revealed nothing. _Come on, Alicia. Don’t stop now!_ she admonished herself as she continued.

“And the second thing I want to say to you, is that I find you distractingly beautiful, and I am very attracted to you.” Again, Alicia watched Kalinda’s face and she was rewarded this time with a minute upturn of one side of her mouth. Bolstered by this longed-for reaction, Alicia continued on.

“I know my life is an absolute train-wreck right now, but the only thing that makes sense to me is to try to clean up the dead weight that is dragging me down, so that I can be emotionally free to see where you and I fit into each other’s lives.”

“But you just said we’re friends, Alicia,” Kalinda stated. “That’s where we fit into each other’s lives. There’s no mystery there.”

“Look Kalinda, I know you’re all mysterious with your sexuality, and you’ve done more and seen more than I could ever in 6 lifetimes. But I’m pretty sure I’ve never felt this way before—about anyone—man or woman—and I’d like to respect our relationship enough to give it the chance it deserves.”

Alicia waited for Kalinda to respond. And waited. And waited. When Kalinda finally lifted her eyes to meet Alicia’s, she had a look of vulnerability that Alicia had not seen there before.

“Alicia, I’m afraid to say anything to you. I’m afraid—I’m afraid of how I feel about you. I work really, really hard to never, ever let anyone get close to me emotionally. Oh sure, I can sleep around 8 out of 7 nights a week, but no one gets to see me. I’ve never even shared that bed with another human being except you.”

“I feel differently towards you. I want to protect you. When Peter hurts you, I want to hurt him. When you are confused or overwhelmed, I want to take you in my arms and hold you until you know that you are--that someone--cares deeply for you.” _Watch it Sharma! You almost fell over the cliff on that one!_ Kalinda admonished herself.

“What I mean to say is, I’ve not felt these feelings for anyone else in my life. And they scare the shit out of me.”

Alicia reached over and stroked the back of Kalinda’s hand. “Why do they scare you so much?” Alicia asked.

Kalinda took a long time to answer, and when she finally did, she said, “Because if I allow myself to love you, then I can be hurt by you. And let’s face it. It’s usually the person who is NOT married who gets hurt in these types of situations. Normally, I don’t care about that sort of thing, because I keep my heart closed off. But I…I can’t seem to do that with you. I’ve never been able to. You captured me and my heart from the beginning. And I knew getting close to you was not a wise decision on my part. But I couldn’t help myself. I am so drawn to you, Alicia. It really, really scares me.”

Alicia grasped her friend’s hand tightly. “If I were in court right now, I’d rest my case, having made the hardened witness spill their guts all over the floor in front of me, the jury, the judge and the gallery. But this shouldn’t be about winning and losing. It should be about trying. Being open to new experiences, feelings and sensations. Being outside of your comfort zone.”

“Oh, I’m right there—outside my comfort zone, I mean,” Kalinda said.

“So,” Alicia said carefully, “using that court analogy again, having rested my case, the jury would be excused to start their deliberations. But there’s no jury. There’s no judge. It’s just you and me, Kalinda.”

“Yes, I see that. I see that and it doesn’t make the solution any more simple or available to me at the moment,” Kalinda confessed.

 _But I know what I want! I do! I want a chance with Alicia. Even though I will probably fuck it up, I want a chance. I want a chance to not do the Kalinda Sharma thing and instead…oh, I don’t know. Maybe have some peace in my life? Do I even know what peace is or what to do with it if I find it?_ As much as she longed to share her heart with Alicia, she defaulted to her poker face and said nothing.

“You are lying Kalinda Sharma. You are lying to me, and you are probably lying to yourself,” Alicia said confidently. “You know exactly what you want—you’re just afraid you might actually get it and not know what do with it, or fuck it up somehow.”

Kalinda averted her eyes and said nothing. Alicia reached across the table and with her fingertip, gently urged Kalinda’s chin up so that the women were facing each other. With a beatific smile that truly seemed a bit out of context to Kalinda, Alicia gazed at her friend with a mixture of love, pity, amusement, and…there it was again…hope.

“All right Alicia. You win,” Kalinda admitted defeatedly. “How is this going to play out, because you know if I drive this bus, it will go right off a bridge or something similarly disastrous. What shall we do, my friend with the all-knowing eyes.”


	7. Chapter 7

_This is it. It’s now or never. Nothing ventured, nothing gained._ “Kalinda, I’m not going back to my life before. I’m just not. I’m tired of living for everyone else. It’s my turn. To live my life. To be who I never dared to be, because I was afraid of idiots like my mother-in-law, or Eli Gold, or Peter’s pastor of the month. I’ve never felt like this before Kalinda, and I will not be able to live a peaceful life if I know that I chickened out on what might be the greatest experience of my life.”

“Ok, Alicia? Really? If I wasn’t scared off before—hello! Commitment-phobe in the house!—I sure as hell am running for the hills now. We don’t know anything other than we really, really, really, really are attracted to each other, and we seem to care for each other quite substantially. That doesn’t equate to soul mates and great loves and all that romantic rubbish,” Kalinda said scornfully. “If you think I’m capable of this kind of dribble, you clearly have not been paying attention. I’m a bitch, a lying, conniving wench and a more than a bit of a whore. What part of that spells “great love”?

“Obviously, you, Ms. Sharma wasn’t paying attention yourself. I said “experience”. Not “love”. You’re putting words in my mouth,” Alicia said victoriously, having once again gotten Kalinda to reveal more about herself than she ever intended.

“Ok, I’m going to tell Diane on Monday that she clearly doesn’t pay you enough. How did you do that?” Kalinda marveled at her friend. “I’m extremely impressed and believe me, that’s not easy.”

“Good. Now if we can just get back to the facts of the case,” Alicia dead-panned. “I like you. You like me. We are grownups. We get to make our own decisions. The first one I’m making is that I’m kicking Peter out of my apartment, and I’m going to start proceedings against him. And if he fights me on it, I will bring this whole ugly situation right into the middle of his campaign. So he will not only be a whore-monger, but a wife abuser as well. And that would spell “bye-bye” to his political aspirations.”

“The next decision I’m making is that I’m going to take a week off and visit my brother. If there’s anyone who can help me make sense of what’s going on in my life right now, it’s Owen,” Alicia said confidently.

“That sounds great Alicia. I’m glad you’re going to be taking care of yourself,” Kalinda said with a forced smile on her lips.

“Not so fast, there Sharma. You’re going to let me finish,” Alicia said.

“By all means—sorry to have interrupted,” Kalinda said.

“When I get back, I’m going to invite you on a date with me. A real date. Not a ‘couple of drinks and then we find a hotel room quickly and get it all out of our systems’. I mean a real date, with me picking you up, arranging dinner somewhere where we can hear each other talk, and then when we’re ready to close the restaurant, I’ll take you back home. And then I will kiss you on your doorstep, and we will say goodnight. If that evening goes well, we will have another date,” Alicia finished.

“And if it doesn’t go well?” Kalinda asked quietly.

“Then we’ll cut our losses and do everything in our power to remain the close friends that we are. But what we won’t have are questions and doubts between us. We’ll know that we had the courage to explore these feelings, but that it just didn’t work out for us,” Alicia said.

“But somehow, I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen,” Alicia said positively. “Not at all.”

“What do you think will happen, Alicia?” Kalinda asked.

“I think it’s a good time for us to stop talking now, and I’m going to properly thank you for breakfast and for taking me in last night and taking such good care of me,” Alicia said as she rose from the table and made her way over to where Kalinda was seated. She dipped her head down and captured Kalinda’s full, luscious lips and locked them into an embrace with her own. Her tongue teased its way into Kalinda’s mouth, as she slowly and assertively kissed Kalinda with controlled abandon. Alicia resisted the urge to touch Kalinda’s breast although her hands ached to feel more of her—to know more of her. As she disengaged, Kalinda’s arm reached around Alicia’s neck as she demanded the kiss be continued. Alicia complied happily, and after a few long moments, where time was suspended, she gently disengaged again, and took Kalinda’s hand and helped her rise from her chair.

“There. You’ve been properly thanked. And now you’re going to see me to the door, and we’re going to kiss again. Then I’m going to leave and I’m going to call you in about two weeks. Will that be acceptable, Miss Sharma?” Alicia asked.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can get a lot done in 2 weeks.

“Two weeks. Two bloody long, god-damned weeks,” Kalinda muttered to herself as she strode through the corridor at Stern, Lockhart & Gardner, heading for Diane Lockhart’s office. Kalinda was grateful to have a new project—to have anything at all to focus on, other than the disturbing reality that was Alicia Florrick. 

Kalinda had alternated between re-living the night that she and Alicia had spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms, and berating herself for letting her guard down long enough to let Alicia in. She prided herself on always having the upper hand—never allowing anyone, male or female, to get close to her emotionally. _I sure blew it this time_ , Kalinda thought, a smile beginning to show at the corner of her mouth. Stopping just short of Diane’s office door, Kalinda took a deep breath, quickly assumed her normal cool, collected and highly efficient demeanor, and knocked before pushing the door open. “You wanted to see me, Diane?” she asked politely.

“Yes, I did—thank you for making this a priority, Kalinda, Diane said. “We’ve got an extremely sensitive situation on our hands, and I want to be fair to all parties concerned. It seems that Alicia will be holding a press conference today at 3 pm. She’s announcing that she’s filing for divorce from her husband, the former State’s Attorney.”

Kalinda’s face revealed nothing as she took this all in. While none of this was ‘news’ to her, based on her conversation with Alicia a few nights ago, she had to admit to herself that she was more than a little pleased at this bit of intel. She looked at Diane expectantly, waiting to find out what angle she was coming from on this one. The choices were 1) protect the firm from adverse publicity, 2) don’t make an enemy of Peter Florrick in case he ever gets back into office, and of course, 3) don’t let the State’s Attorney’s office believe that we are in any way supportive or sympathetic to Peter Florrick”.

“Of course, Alicia’s well-being is very important to the firm. But it seems as though there might be some evidence that will exonerate Peter from all charges, so it’s important that we don’t alienate him completely,” Diane stated.

“What is it that you want me to find out, Diane?”

“Two things. Go to that press conference and see what you can find out. I’m going to go as well to support Alicia, as is Will, but I’d like you to do what you do best there.”

“And what’s the second thing?” Kalinda said, already knowing the answer.

“Find out what the hell Peter Florrick has up his sleeve to clear himself,” Diane said coldly. “When this hits the press, I want to make sure we are as neutral as possible—considering we employ his soon-to-be ex-wife.”

“All right Diane. I’ll be in touch,” Kalinda said as she walked quietly out of Diane’s office. She had a lot to do before 3 o’clock.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Alicia dressed carefully for the press conference, opting for a classically tailored dress instead of one of her many suits. She wanted to appear confident, but not strident. Somber, but not sad. Resolute, but not angry. _Whose idea was this anyway? What was I thinking?_

Truthfully, the idea had been her own. Alicia had returned to her apartment from her evening spent with Kalinda to find Peter scrubbing the kitchen sink within an inch of its life. When he heard her come into the kitchen, she quickly cut him off before he had a chance to apologize.

“Peter, I’m not listening to you right now. In fact, I may never believe one more thing that comes out of your mouth. I don’t know who you are anymore. I was a fool to think that we could ever find our way back to each other after what you’ve done to me—to us. To our children. In front of the entire fucking world.”

“Alicia—wait! Don’t do this! We’ve been trying so hard to get past this!” Peter pleaded.

“You have NOTHING to get past. It’s always me that has to deal with your shit. And I’m done with it—completely done. Where are Grace and Zach? I’m going to speak with them right now—before I call your parole officer and arrange to have you moved to Jackie’s house where you will finish off the rest of your house-arrest sentence.” Alicia spoke quickly and resolutely, showing a side of her that Peter had rarely seen, and certainly not anytime in the past year.

“They both took off this morning to visit friends. They won’t be back until after dinner tonight,” Peter said. “I thought it would be a good idea—to give us time to talk things out.”

“Well at least you had the presence of mind to spare them this—too bad you couldn’t have restrained yourself last night,” Alicia said coldly. “So how was it—facing your son this morning. You know—the one who pulled you off of me while you tried to force yourself on me?”

Peter looked down, unable to meet his wife’s eyes. For once, the man who could argue his way out of anything was at a loss for words.

“Start packing, Peter. I’m calling your parole officer right now. I want you and your ankle bracelet out of here tonight. Then I’m calling your mother.”

“Wait—let me call her.” Peter said, his eyes frightened.

“Not a chance, Peter. I’m telling her exactly what you did to me, because this time, there will be no mistake. I’m filing for divorce next week—as soon as I can get the paperwork together,” Alicia said.

“I’m not going to give you a divorce, Alicia. We have to work this out,” Peter said. “You’re angry now, but when you calm down…”

“Calm down? Calm down? Are you kidding me? Look at me Peter!” she demanded. “I am done being hurt by you. DONE. You do not deserve to be in my life. Period. I am done, and I’m filing for divorce, and you will go along with it—why? Because if you don’t I will publicize the fact that you tried to rape me. Then you can kiss any political aspirations you have good-bye—forever. As it is now, you can probably fight your way back. But an accusation of rape? From your wife who stood by you through your trial and incarceration, and tried to make a go of it when you were released under house arrest? You’ll never recover from that Peter.”

Alicia checked herself in the mirror one more time and saw the reflection of her two children—Zach in a suit, and Grace in a very pretty dress—standing at her bedroom door.

“Kids, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to still be in school?” Alicia said, not quite believing what she was seeing.

“Mom, we want to come to the press conference with you today,” Zach said, while Grace chimed in, “Yes mom—let us come with you.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. I mean, I love you for it—I love your support,” Alicia said truthfully. “And if I said I wasn’t frightened, I’d be lying to you.”

“Then what’s to discuss? Let’s go, Mom,” Zach said, taking her elbow and guiding her out of the bedroom.

“But your father…”Alicia continued.

“Mom, we saw him that night when he was drunk and on top of you. We saw him. You’ve been hurt enough by him,” Grace said with a determined look in her eyes. “I know we’ve been after you to make up with him—to take him back. But we were wrong Mom.”

A tear spilled down Alicia’s cheek, followed by several more as she gathered her children into her arms. _Now I know I’m making the right decision._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia holds all the cards--and a press conference

There was hardly a place to stand, much less sit, at the press conference. Alicia’s announcement was going to make national headlines, just as her choice to stand by her husband had. Alicia looked out from back stage and saw Diane and Will in the front row, along with dozens of reporters, cameras, lights and microphones, all her to bear witness to what she was about to do. She continued to scan the crowd, looking for…

“Alicia,” said Kalinda quietly, as she mysteriously appeared at Alicia’s side, softly touching the small of her back. Alicia immediately wrapped her arms around Kalinda and visibly relaxed, releasing a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered into Kalinda’s ear.

“I couldn’t let you do this on your own—although I see you have a couple of really big fans,” Kalinda said, gently releasing herself from Alicia and turning to smile at Zach and Grace.

Keeping her arm around Kalinda’s waist for support, she made quick introductions. “Do you work with my mom?” Grace asked, her eyes lingering on the two women, standing just a little too close together.

Kalinda instinctively tried to step away from Alicia, but found herself being firmly tugged back into place by her friend’s side. “Yes Grace—we work together. And your Mom and I are good friends,” Kalinda said truthfully.

“Mrs. Florrick, we’re ready to begin,” said Stacey Jones—the new PR rep that Alicia had hired to help her navigate these treacherous political waters.

“Ok it’s show time,” Alicia said bravely, taking one last look at Kalinda before ushering her children on stage and taking her place behind the podium.

As soon as Alicia had turned to walk on stage, Kalinda hurried into the main room so she could listen in on the chatter among the reporters and photographers—it was one way to find out what the temperature was on this story.

The reporters began sitting up straight and cameras were snapping away as Alicia, Zach, and Grace took the stage. Alicia read a carefully prepared, yet brief statement:

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, I’d like to thank you for your time today. I’m here to make a somewhat unusual announcement, but given the way my marriage and personal life has played out in the press over the course of the last year, it seems appropriate. I have decided to file for divorce from my husband, former State’s Attorney Peter Florrick. Our marriage has been through an incredible amount of stress, and although we have both tried to find our way back to each other, unfortunately it’s not working for us. So unfortunately, I have no choice, but to end this marriage and try to move on from here.”

“Mrs. Florrick! Has your husband cheated on you again? Is that why you’re leaving?” a reporter asked.

“Not to my knowledge,” Alicia responded.

“Mrs. Florrick, how is divorcing your husband going to impact your job at Lockhart & Gardner?” another reporter asked.

“Well,” Alicia said smiling, “I hope it won’t affect it at all. My job and my marriage are two separate things.”

After fielding a few more questions, Alicia thanked the assembled crowd and made her way off the stage. Will and Diane were waiting there for her.

“Alicia, that was the bravest thing I’ve seen anyone do—in a very long time,” Diane said, reaching over to hug Alicia. “I’m very, very proud of you, and I’m glad that you’re part of our team.”

“Ditto, Alicia. That was great. You gave them nothing, but let them think that they walked out with a scoop!” Will chuckled. “That’s quite a feat.”

Alicia thanked them as they took their leave, making their way back to the office. She turned to find Zach and Grace staring at her, with blank looks on their faces.

“What’s wrong?” Alicia said, suddenly alarmed. “Did I say something that you didn’t like, or understand?”

“Nnnooo Mom,” Zach started. “It’s just—there were so many people there—wanting to hear what you had to say. And it’s been like that ever since Dad got indicted—how do you stand it?”

“I know—seriously Mom—that was crazy,” Grace interjected.

“It is crazy. Which is exactly why I did this. If you don’t give them something, they start making it up. And before your father’s political machine starts manipulating our very sad and very real family situation, I wanted to get out ahead of it.” _And, I wanted there to be no chance that I would waiver, or Peter would talk me out of this—doing it in public makes it more—real._

“Mom, can we go home now?” Grace asked.

“Absolutely—let’s go kids,”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“What do you think, Kalinda? Do we have a problem?” Diane asked.

“Well, the press is very sympathetic towards Alicia,” Kalinda started. “They really like her, and they’re in a sense, rooting for her. I haven’t heard any kind words spared for Peter Florrick. He’s not the good guy here. In fact, it seems that people have been waiting quite a long time for Alicia to kick him to the curb, so they’re happy that she’s ‘seen the light’."

“Good work, Kalinda. That was my fondest hope. Now go find out what’s happening with Peter’s case. What’s he got up his sleeve and how does he think he’s going to exonerate himself and clear his name?”

“Right—will do, Diane,” Kalinda said, trying to keep her mind focused on her job instead of replaying the moments she had stolen with Alicia today. _I suppose I can save those thoughts for later. When I can’t sleep because my body is aching for her. Yeah, that’s something to look forward to tonight._


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia visits her gay brother, Owen.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this, Owen! This is so not ‘me’” Alicia said.

“That, my dear, is precisely why we are here in Las Vegas,” Owen stated seriously. “You are desperately in need of distraction and fun, all of which are available and plentiful in Vegas. And, most importantly, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” Owen said chuckling.

The two had checked into the Mirage, taken a short nap to recover from the flight, and then headed straight for the buffet. “We need to build up our strength for all the gambling and whoring we’re about to do,” Owen said cheerfully, spearing a large piece of steak and putting it in his mouth all at once.

“I hate it when you do that, but it always makes me laugh,” Alicia said, digging into her pasta. She had tried to order salmon and salad, but was soundly over-ruled by her brother. “You have plenty of time to eat healthy—at home. You’re on vacation for crying-out-loud! You should be having dessert with every meal! None of this healthy crap, ok?”

“Fine for now, Owen, but when my organs start shutting down from all the fat and sugar I’m pounding, you may want to throw me a green bean, or something,” Alicia said laughing.

“Oh, I hope you’ll be doing a lot more than just over-eating, sis,” Owen said. “I want this to be an over-indulging vacation the likes of which you’ve never seen! You need to gamble, you need to have inappropriate sex with strangers—maybe even take your top off and dance on a table or two.”

Alicia was convulsed with laughter. “Owen, you’re out of your mind, and I love you for it.”

“All kidding aside, Alicia, you do need to relax. So I’ve booked a spa day for you tomorrow, after which you and I are getting gussied up and going dancing.”

“Dancing? You want to go dancing with me?” Alicia said, her eyebrow arching slightly with doubt.

“No Alicia, I want to go dancing with 14 hot steamy young guys wearing nothing but g-strings, cowboy hats and boots, but I’m here with my sister, more’s the pity. So I will settle for going dancing at a fabulous mixed club I’ve been to off the beaten path,” Owen said, his eyes light with mirth.

“Oh I see…you’re going to get your freak on, while I have to fend off the sensible-shoe crowd by myself,” said Alicia, trying to sound upset and failing miserably.

“I will have you know that the sensible-shoe crowd will be nowhere near the club tomorrow night—it’s strictly lipstick lesbians there, and other lipstick lesbians who love, or want to love them,” Owen said.

“Hmmm….” Alicia said, a strange smile creeping over her face as she stared carefully at her dinner plate.

“Wait—just wait one minute, sis! What is that ‘hmmm’ all about,” Owen said seriously. “Spill. What am I missing?”

Alicia took a deep breath and looked directly at Owen before speaking. _It’s now or never. It’s why you came out to Las Vegas with him, so don’t chicken out now._

“Actually, Owen, I’m glad we’re going to a gay club tomorrow night. It seems very appropriate under the circumstances,” Alicia said mysteriously.

“What on earth? Are you trying to tell me that you’ve decided to visit the Isle of Sappho and learn the joys of l’amour des femmes at your advance age?” Owen teased.

“Actually yes.”

Owen was silent for several long moments as he took in all this information.

“Ok, fine. I get it. I’m no longer going to be the only gay one in the family,” Owen said. “But I need to hear the whole story, because I’m quite certain there’s a story here.”

“Let’s just say that I’m exploring all options, Owen, and leave it at that,” Alicia said, cutting off further discussion on the matter. “And remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

_++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++_

Kalinda stared at her phone, willing it to ring, chime—blow up—anything other than what it t was doing right now which was nothing. Not a thing. No call, no text, no…well, to be fair, Alicia had said she’d call in two weeks. And truthfully, they had talked several times over the past week. Once before the press conference to give her a heads up, then they saw each other at the press conference and there was hugging and waist-holding, then there was the phone call about the Ellsworth case, and well, there was one time Kalinda called because she couldn’t take it anymore, and Alicia had answered and spoken to her for a few minutes before she had to get on the plane to meet her brother. Alicia didn’t tell Kalinda where they were headed, and Kalinda didn’t ask. Of course, if she really wanted to know, it wouldn’t take more than a few keystrokes for Kalinda to track her down. But that would be…well…

_NO! Don’t you dare screw this up, Kalinda Sharma! You will not rely on your super-fantastical investigative skills to track down your woman like some perp. No, you will not track her down, and whenever she wants to tell you where she is, then she will._

Kalinda sighed, and stared down at the phone again. Knowing that she was going to be useless unless she did something about this raging obsession for Alicia, she opted for a quick text—just to check in. There surely was no harm in that. ‘Hey Alicia—how’s it going? I hope you’re enjoying your vacation with your brother. Take care’

_Ok, could that get any lamer? I can’t send that for crying-out-loud! This is ridiculous!_

Kalinda erased the draft without sending it and tried again. ‘Hey sexy…just wanted you to know I’ve been thinking about you allllll day. XO

_Well, not as bad, but definitely cheesy. And she’s so…so…well, kind of refined. Is it too much to call her sexy? Oh my god, I don’t even know how to text her? How on earth am I going to try to navigate a relationship with her—if I even last until our first date!_

The phone rang in the middle of her internal monologue, startling Kalinda so much that she dropped the phone. She rolled her chair backwards to reach down and pick it up where it fell, knocking her head against the wooden desk on her way up. Fully aggravated, she looked at the number that came up and didn’t recognize it. _Great—probably someone selling something._

“Kalinda Sharma,” she said flatly.

“Hi Kalinda! It’s me—Alicia. I hope I’m not interrupting you at work.”

_Oh my god, what is she, psychic? Did she feel me staring at the phone, willing her to call me? Ok, ok…stay cool. Stay cool. She is not interested in dating an anxious twat!_

“Oh hey, Alicia. No worries. I have a few minutes. What’s up? How’s your vacation?” Kalinda asked, hoping she sounded a lot calmer than she felt.

“My vacation is fantastic! Owen and I are in Las Vegas, causing trouble. I’ve never really caused trouble before, so it’s a new experience. I think I could be good at it,” Alicia said excitedly.

Kalinda smiled and sighed. It just felt so good to hear Alicia’s voice—to be connected to her, even if it was just over the phone. “I see. First you start hanging around me…you know that’s trouble. Now you’re causing trouble out of state. I’d say you’re making up for lost time, my friend.”

“I guess so. How are you? Is it busy at work? I feel like I left you holding the bag with the Ellsworth case,” Alicia said.

“Not at all Alicia. You needed to do this. And Ellsworth is wrapping up. I think we have enough “footage” of the wife’s extra-curricular activities to save the client a couple of million. Diane’s happy, so of course, we’re all happy,” Kalinda said chuckling.

“That’s good. But you didn’t answer me—how are you, Kalinda?”

_There it is. Here’s the opening. Here’s my chance to tell her that I miss her, and I’m thinking about her every moment of every day, and how I’m useless without her and that this is the longest two weeks of my life._

“Oh, you know me. I’m keeping myself busy with work,” Kalinda said, lying easily.

“Well, as long as there aren’t any dates with handsome, rich Indian men while I’m gone. Or women for that matter,” Alicia said teasingly.

“Why? Would that bother you, Alicia?” Kalinda asked.

Kalinda’s comment was met with a long, uncomfortable silence.

“Well, of course it would bother me Kalinda. I guess I mistakenly thought that you could control yourself for two weeks while I completely change everything about my life so that I can be free to date you,” Alicia said, anger building in her voice.

“Whoa, whoa…hang on Alicia, hang on,” Kalinda said. “I don’t know where all of this is coming from. I never said that I was going on dates with anyone! I only asked you if it would bother you, and I think we all know the answer to that question.”

Neither woman spoke for a few moments. Unable to stand the silence, Alicia spoke first. “Kalinda, why did you ask me if it would bother me if you were dating other people right now? How can you not know that it would? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m hardly cavalier with my feelings. I told you how I felt about you, and I meant every word that I said in your apartment. If you’re not interested in dating me—in taking time to get to know me—all of me, I need to know right now,” Alicia said, and held her breath, waiting for Kalinda to respond.

“Alicia, I’m not good at this. You know I’m not, and I’ve been honest about that,” Kalinda said carefully. “I’m not the type of person who is very skilled at intimate relationships that go beyond one night stands. I am way out of my comfort zone with you, Alicia, and to be honest, it doesn’t feel great. I’ve been sitting here for the better part of the past 9 days since you left my apartment, staring at my phone, hoping that you’ll call or text. Does that sound like the terribly rational Kalinda Sharma that you know and usually like, although not so much right now.”

Alicia giggled on the other end of the phone, and then Kalinda joined her. “Really Kalinda? Staring at the phone, waiting for me to call?”

“I’m afraid to say yes. Really. Like some crushed-out teenager,” Kalinda confessed ruefully.

“Actually, you sound kind of like—a girl,” Alicia said surprised.

“Oh really? Isn’t that rather like the pot calling the kettle black?” Kalinda said sharply. “That was quite a girly fit you threw a couple of minutes ago.”

“Ok…ok…time out,” Alicia said, anxious to keep the conversation from veering into a bad place again. “Let’s try this again. Kalinda, I’m having a wonderful time on vacation, and I just called because I missed hearing your voice—I missed you. And I can’t wait for our first official date—in fact, consider this your phone call. Kalinda, would you do me the honor of allowing me to take you to dinner on the 28th?

Kalinda smiled into the phone, grateful that Alicia was kindly putting her out of her misery and getting her an actual date to hang on to. _Oh, I’ve got it so bad._

“That sounds lovely, Alicia. I look forward to it.”

“I don’t think you could possibly look forward to it more than I already am,” Alicia said, her voice dropping to a lower register, sending shivers through Kalinda’s spine. “And I hate to have to end this call, but my brother and I are about to go out to some club tonight—I’m supposed to meet him in the lobby now.”

“That’s ok Alicia—we’re ok, aren’t we?” Kalinda asked tentatively.

“We are more than ok, Kalinda. I..well…take care, all right? And you can call me whenever you’d like. There’s no need to stare at the phone, wasting the firm’s valuable time. I won’t be accused of putting you off your game!” Alicia teased.

“As attractive and compelling as you are, it takes a LOT to put me off my game,” Kalinda teased back. “But really…thank you Alicia. For calling. And for letting me know that it’s ok for me to call you. I haven’t wanted to intrude on you while you sort things out.”

“You’re not an intrusion, Kalinda. I’ll talk with you soon—all right?”

“Yes. Have fun Alicia,” Kalinda said, ending the call. 

_All right Sharma—you’ve had your call from your girlfriend. Now back to work!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia is hung-over, and Owen is recapping their fabulous night at the club.

“Diane, we need to talk,” Kalinda said as she unceremoniously opened the conference room door, interrupting whatever she and Will were discussing.

“Certainly, Kalinda,” Diane said. “Give me five?”

“Actually, Diane this won’t wait. It’s about the latest case you asked me to investigate. There’s been a development that requires your immediate attention,” Kalinda explained, her expression giving away nothing.

“Would you excuse us Will?” Diane asked her partner. “I’ll come find you as soon as I’m finished here.”

“Of course. I’ll just try to perfect my skill for multiplying loaves and fishes so that we can make payroll next week,” Will said half-jokingly as he rose from his chair and made his way back to his office.

“What is it Kalinda? Did you find out what Peter Florrick has up his sleeve?” Diane asked.

“If you call uncovering Glen Chiles’ plot to frame him for crimes he didn’t commit ‘something up his sleeve’ then yes,” Kalinda said. “Peter and his attorney have been working behind the scenes with the head of the County’s special task force on corruption. Chiles has been a very bad boy, and he’s done a miserable job of covering his tracks. That, and the job has gone completely to his head. He’s made this a personal vendetta against Peter, and it’s working against him—there is actually some sympathy being generated for Peter.”

“That’s not great for us, but at least we know what we’re dealing with,” Diane said ruefully. “Do you have any idea as to the timing of this big revelation?”

“It could be happening as soon as tomorrow. The details are still being worked out,” Kalinda said.

“And do we have any idea where Alicia stands on this?” Diane asked expectantly.

“What? I mean, you didn’t ask me to look into anything with regard to Alicia,” Kalinda said carefully. “I assumed that if you needed to know something from Alicia’s perspective, you would ask her directly—so she wouldn’t think that you or the firm was going behind her back.”

“You assumption is incorrect, Kalinda,” Diane explained. “Alicia can know nothing of our ‘research’ into her personal situation, even though I believe she would quite understand, given the volatility of her husband and his political power. I need to know where Alicia stands—is she serious about filing for divorce, or was that press conference some sort of ploy? Where’s Peter living? Is she seeing anyone else? I need to know if Alicia is playing this situation up to cover up her own dalliances, or if she is truly the wounded party, and she’s simply trying to cut her losses, divorce her cad of a husband and rebuild her life.”

“Diane, I’m afraid I can’t answer your questions,” Kalinda said uncomfortably.

“Well why on earth not?” Diane asked.

“For the same reason I refused to investigate you, Will, and all the other Partners when Derrick Bond ordered me to. I cannot work for all of you—closely—and earn your trust while at the same time digging behind your back covertly,” Kalinda explained patiently. “Just because I’m very good at getting whatever information I need does not mean that I don’t have a moral code that I follow. And my moral code may be quite a bit different than yours, but nonetheless, I stand by it.”

“Touché, Kalinda,” Diane said smiling. “I’m actually impressed by your argument, and you’re right—I should have a conversation with Alicia directly. If in fact, any of this is our business. And the more I’m thinking about this, the more I’m thinking it’s time to pull back on any more ‘research’. We’ll just let nature take its course, and if Peter Florrick finds his way back to the State’s Attorney’s office, then we’ll deal with that when it happens. Thank you Kalinda—good work,” Diane said as she opened the door to the conference room and made her way to Will's office to continue their conversation.

 _Well, that was awkward,_ Kalinda thought. _Moral code—really? She fell for the moral code line?_ Kalinda was relieved that Diane dropped her line of investigation. Although she knew what Alicia’s plans were, that fell under the veil of privileged information—from one friend to another. And for whatever reason, protecting Alicia had become Kalinda’s number one priority.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Owen, please…could you stop pouring your orange juice so loudly?” Alicia begged, elbows anchoring herself to the breakfast table as she cradled her head in her hands. “I’m thinking there’s a reason why I stopped indulging in test tube shooters…now I remember why. I think if I had a machete, I would lob my own head off my shoulders just to stop the pain.”

“Here you go darling…hair of the dog,” Owen said, sliding a mimosa underneath Alicia’s chin. “Drink up and you’ll be right as rain in no time—ready to get back on the bar and dance like nobody’s watching…or is that a country song? Oh well, no matter. I would say ‘operation Make Alicia have Fun and Cause Trouble' is a rousing success.”

“Owen, seriously…Stop. Talking. So. Loudly,” Alicia said, taking a small sip of her drink, hoping the old wives’ tale worked this time. Squinting up at her brother, she asked, “did I do anything stupid and embarrassing? Never mind. Don’t answer that. I truly do not want to know.”

“Oh my dear Alicia, let me scoot closer to you and I can show you the pictorial essay of our night on the town that I’ve preserved on my cell phone. Here’s Alicia sandwiched between two sweaty, oiled go-go dancers. Now here she is downing her third test tube shooter, her arm draped lazily around this very large breasted, bronze-skinned beauty with dark hair. And look—here’s Alicia dancing on top of the bar—actually, dancing would be considered a compliment, and fairly far afield from what you were actually doing. What _were_ you trying to do, Alicia?”

“Well, I have a very sketchy outline of what transpired last night, so I can’t hazard a guess, except perhaps I was trying to impress you, or perhaps one of those cute girls in the corner with the pool cues and leather jackets. I’m guessing they got a good laugh out of my antics..I didn’t see any telephone numbers written on my hand, or saved to my phone when I woke up. Damn you, Owen—you’re supposed to take care of me! You’re my brother!” Alicia said, smiling through her supposed tirade.

“And I did, Alicia! I got all those phone numbers you wanted right here for you—they’re in my phone, silly! Look, here’s Destiny’s number, Kate’s, and how could you ever forget Ophelia?” Owen teased.

“As unlikely as it is, I have indeed forgotten the lovely Ophelia, as well as Destiny and Kate—if they existed at all, if only in your fired up imagination. Ever since I mentioned that I might be interested in girls, you’ve been far too excited about the prospect,” Alicia said.

“Well, can you blame me? I’m tired of being the only homo in the family. Hell, I’m the only homo for three generations, as far as I can tell. It’s time to share the burden—or the blessing, if you prefer. I’ve worn the crown long enough. Just don’t embarrass me and bring home a decidedly not-hot-enough-for-you chick, ok? Is that too much to ask?” Owen said, playing the long suffering brother role to the hilt.

“Here, Alicia. Drink up, put these dark sunglasses on, and let’s get going. We’re going shopping today! You need hot new clothes to go with the new you! And I’m not letting you dress yourself—it’s fine for a State’s Attorney’s house-wife, but not for an up-and-coming bad-ass lawyer with a hankering for justice, and l’amour des femmes…so saddle up, pardner! We got some Jimmy Choo’s to find!”

“Fine. But you’re buying. I’m still trying to find my wallet after last night,” Alicia quipped, slipping the dark sunglasses over her aching eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia comes clean with Owen

Alicia and Owen were on their last night in Las Vegas, and Owen was trying to talk Alicia into tying one on, again.

“No, I’m not drinking like that again tonight. No tequila, no vodka, not shooters…. maybe a glass or two of wine, but that is it!” Alicia said. “My liver is probably twice it’s normal size and I’m going to look like shit when I get back to work in a couple of days.”

“Aww…sis, you look great,” Owen said. “But we can take it easy tonight. I was thinking that maybe you’d enjoy having sex with a woman tonight—or a man, if you like. But I thought a woman might be more helpful now, since of course, you’re gearing up to don your rainbow panties and dance on a disco truck at Gay Pride.”

“Are you going to go down to the lobby and find someone for me?” Alicia glared at him.

“It’s interesting that you didn’t start that sentence with a no, so I’m taking that to mean that you wouldn’t mind getting laid, if you didn’t have to do much to make it happen.”

“You’re suggesting that I sleep with a prostitute? I could almost laugh with the irony of it all, if it wasn’t just about the worst suggestion you’ve made in—well in about 2 hours,” Alicia replied.

“What’s the harm in it, Alicia? It’s totally legal here in Las Vegas,” Owen explained. “There are women who choose to have sex for a living as their profession. You would just be a customer, buying a product."

“I don’t need to pay for sex. That would make me no better than Peter. Absolutely not, and I don’t want to hear another word about it,” Alicia said firmly.

“You’re the one who went down the prostitution road…I was just thinking of responding to any one of the three women who have texted you over the last couple of days asking to get together with you before you leave,” Owen said slyly.

“What three women are you talking about?”

“Destiny, Kate and Ophelia, of course,” Owen replied. “I saved their numbers to my phone—not yours—so all the texts have been coming to me.”

“Oh my God, you are such an asshole sometimes!” Alicia said shaking her head. “And just for the record, my final answer is a hard NO. I’m not sleeping with a random chick just to practice for my date with Kalinda. I asked her not to fuck around while I was gone, and I can at least return the favor.”

“Ha! I finally got you to spill, Miss ‘I’m not telling you anything about my future gay exploits’,” Owen said happily. “I never really thought you would sleep with a random chick—I was just trying to get you to spill the tea about your new girlfriend. So, tell me about Kalinda? And when’s your date?”

Alicia sighed. “It’s complicated. She’s my friend—she’s my best friend. And she’s been there for me for all of the drama. And…well, she’s so beautiful and sexy. I’ve had a mad crush on her ever since we met. And a couple of weeks ago, Peter got drunk and tried to force himself on me, so I left my apartment in the middle of the night and Kalinda let me stay at her apartment for the night. I didn’t want to sleep alone, so she let me sleep in her bed, and well, shit got a little real, and before it got too far, we stopped and sat down and had a real talk about our feelings. It turns out, I’m not the only one with feelings. But she didn’t want to be some dirty little secret on the side. I think her feelings for me are pretty strong, and she’s a real commitment-phobe and doesn’t really have relationships, but she wants to try. So, to make a long story short, that’s the impetus for me for asking Peter for a divorce, for the big public press conference, and why we are here being ridiculous in Las Vega. I asked her for a few weeks to get my train wreck of a life somewhat together, and said I would call her in two weeks for a date. And I did that yesterday, and the date is on the 28th.”

“Fuck…who are you?” Owen asked incredulously. “I don’t think I’ve seen this Alicia before.”

“You probably haven’t. This is more of how I am at work. I’m kind of a bad ass, I never take no for an answer, and I figure out a way to get shit done—efficiently, and quickly. I have the tough conversations right up front, and I’m decisive. The complete antithesis of how I am in my personal life,” Alicia confessed. “But I like ‘work-me’ so much better than how I am in the rest of my life, so I decided to work on being that person all the time. Because that person is fun too—she gets drunk, goes on all night stake-outs, blackmails her husband. In short, she takes no shit and she does what she thinks is right. And what is right is for me to see what this thing with Kalinda is—and it feels way too strong to just be a one-night stand or a brief, torrid affair behind Peter’s back. This could really be an amazing experience and I deserve it.”

“I am so proud of you, Alicia. And I hope Kalinda is everything you’ve dreamed of—you deserve the best. And if she isn’t the one for you, then I hope you follow your heart and find the person that truly deserves to be with you.”

“Thanks Owen. Now, can we put our on our pajamas and order room service and rent some movies?”

“You got it sis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who stopped by and read--I appreciate it. I'd love to hear what you think of the story.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia is back in the office, and Kalinda is trying to accelerate the timeline.

Alicia was finally back in the office, looking very relaxed and somehow a bit less—buttoned up. When she was a junior associate, she always looked frazzled and worn out. Then she became an associate, and she stepped-it up, with Diane Lockhart as her mentor and fashion consultant. Her suits were stylish and fitted her body perfectly, and she always kept a professional demeanor in the office and the courtroom.

She was on the partner track—because of her legal skills and ability to bring in new clients and book billable hours, and her husband’s political power in Chicago also played a role. Incarceration was not the death of a political career in this town—sometimes it offered a career boost. And no one really knew which way the wind was going to blow with Peter, so keeping Alicia with the firm was great PR. Diane and Will both knew it, as did the rest of the firm.

So as Alicia returned to work, she was in the midst of transitioning from the Good Wife to the Good Divorcee. National news had eaten up the coverage of her press conference, and while she had escaped the media by going to Las Vegas with Owen, she returned to a mountain of emails, phone messages, and texts, all clamoring for an interview with Alicia Florrick. And she was having none of it. Eli Gold called at the wrong time.

“Eli, stop it. I’m not going doing any interviews,” Alicia said calmly and firmly. “I am officially done caring about Peter, his political career and aspirations, who he sleeps with, and what he wants and needs. And I will not discuss anything with anyone about me, my kids, or Peter—no reporters, no Barbara Walters, no nothing--until it is politically and professionally expedient for me to do so—for myself. And truthfully, Eli, as delightful as it’s been to have you as the bane of my existence, I’m going to insist that you stop calling me and asking me to do things for Peter. And if you don’t, you will force my hand and I’ll have to use the leverage I have against Peter—and it will ruin him—permanently. No, I’m not telling you—ask him. Chicago voters will forgive him for fucking a hooker, and from being a corrupt State’s Attorney. But not for what he did to me. Good-bye Eli. And lose my number.”

“Well, that was kind of hot,” Kalinda said, as she leaned against the doorjamb to Alicia’s office.

“You heard all of that?”

“Just the last couple of sentences,” Kalinda admitted. “I like seeing you stand up for yourself like that, and take charge. Eli is pretty much a dick and he’s made your life a living hell for the last couple of years. You’ve always been pretty polite and tolerant, but it’s nice to see you kicking the weasel in the crotch with your pointy-toed shoes.”

“Kicking the weasel in the crotch…” Alicia repeated, giggling. “That was really funny, especially with that dead-pan delivery of yours.”

“Hey, I’m multi-faceted,” Kalinda quipped. “So I came by to ask you how you are, and if you wanted to get a drink tonight so you can tell me all about your trip?”

“I would love to, but I have the kids tonight—I haven’t really had them for the past 10 days, so it feels weird to abandon them. And also, I think I drank enough in Vegas to hold me for a few weeks. My brother is pretty outrageous and likes to party—I’m out of practice,” Alicia said smiling and shaking her head.

Kalinda walked into Alicia’s office, closed the door and sat in the chair facing Alicia, with her orange notebook and pen in her lap. She crossed her legs and hiked her already criminally short skirt up, giving Alicia a bit of a show. Alicia sat down in her chair quickly, and pulled out one of her legal pads, and wrote something down. “Alicia, you know I can read upside down, right?”

“Of course I do. That’s why I wrote it.”

“You wrote ‘I really want to test you’?” Kalinda said laughing.

Alicia turned the pad of paper around so Kalinda could read it right-side up. “Not test, ‘taste’!”

“Oh, taste! Well that makes two of us,” Kalinda said smiling and running her pen along her thigh.

“So you just came in here to tease and torture me,” Alicia said, pouting.

“Pretty much. The 28th is 4 days from now, and it seems a long time to wait for our first official date, which by the way, you informed me was going to end with you depositing me on my doorstep with a goodnight kiss, and if that went well, we could have another date. I’m looking for away to accelerate the timeline a little bit, so that if we do have a good date, perhaps we could maybe have a sleepover—like a pajama party, only the pajamas will be lingerie,” Kalinda said playfully.

“You are making my nipples hard under my blouse,” Alicia said softly, conscious of the sometimes-thin office walls.

“I noticed,” Kalinda said breathily. “And you’re making me wet.”

Alicia groaned audibly. “You know, over the past couple of weeks, I’ve replayed our conversation in my mind at least 30 times, and if there was anything I would have changed it would have been that stupid last bit there—the part about me dropping you off at your doorstep and kissing you goodnight. That was dumb.”

“It was sweet…but yeah, it was dumb,” Kalinda agreed.

“And the thought of having to wait past the actual date of the date to umm…sleep together…is making me kind of, anxious. Like, I might not be able to control myself,” Alicia admitted.

“So if you think you might have trouble controlling yourself, and you're–-well you’re ‘you’ and you are very, very good at controlling yourself—at least from a historical perspective. Imagine what I’m enduring."

“Hmm…we do seem to have a bit of a predicament going on here,” Alicia admitted.

“And worse than the whole physical thing, I haven’t gotten to hang out with my friend since the night you came to my apartment. I miss talking with you. So, I was thinking, if we could squeeze in a little hanging out time before our date—strictly platonic of course, it might, you know, help make the time go a little faster.”

“You know it’s not going to be platonic. You know as soon as we get behind a locked door what’s going to happen, K.”

“I have my ideas about what would happen, and none of them are rated PG. They’re definitely for Mature Audiences only,” Kalinda said. “But, for you, Alicia Florrick, I will wait. I will wait until you decide you are ready. However long it takes. Hell, I’ve waited for you this long. What’s another week or two, or maybe a month or more.”

“It’s not going to be that long. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait myself. However, the important thing is that we do what feels right for both of us. So let’s play the pajama party by ear.” Alicia walked around to where Kalinda was sitting and leaned against the desk facing her.

“You’re not wearing any underwear, are you?” Kalinda asked, her throat suddenly dry.

“You’re a pretty good investigator—how did you figure that out.” Alicia said softly.

“Secrets of the trade, I’m afraid, Alicia,” Kalinda said, determined to keep her mouth shut.

“It’s not a secret, Kalinda. You can smell my arousal, can’t you?”

It was Kalinda’s turn to groan, as she squirmed in her chair.”

“So the next time you come in my office and try to tease me and torment me with how sexy you are, just remember, two can play at that game. And I play to win,” Alicia said confidently. “Now you should go home, and figure out what you’re going to wear on our date.”

“It’s more about what I’m not going to wear, isn’t it?” Kalinda said, rising from her chair, and dragging her fingernail up Alicia’s thigh. “I want to kiss you, but that would be inappropriate.”

Alicia leaned down and placed the softest kiss on Kalinda’s lips. “That will have to hold you until you can corner me in the elevator, or the parking garage, or the ladies room, or that empty office on the 3rd floor where you have all your trysts…”

“Wait, how do you know about the office on the 3rd floor?”

“Trade secret.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! You're inspiring me to continue. Let me know what you think.


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